both of these uses may serve worthy
ends on certain occasions, the most valuable function of the sand table
strikes a happy medium between the two, as means of illustrating and
emphasizing various features of the daily lessons. In this capacity the
laborious efforts of the show problem on the one hand and purposeless play
of the other are both avoided. In this capacity the work on the sand table
goes along hand in hand with the regular work in geography, history,
language, or any subject in which it is possible through an illustration
to teach more effectively.

The purpose of this work is not so much to produce fine representations as
to help the children to clarify and strengthen their ideas through the
effort to express them in concrete form. The value lies in the
development which comes to the children while they work. The technique of
processes of construction is of secondary importance, though careless work
ought never to be permitted. The completed project has little value after
it has served its purpose as an illustration and may be quickly destroyed
to make way for the next project. For this reason emphasis is laid on the
general effect rather than the detail of construction. The work should be
done well enough to serve the purpose, but time should not be spent on
unnecessary details which do not add to the value as an illustration. In
most cases speed is an important element. The project should be completed
while the subject it illustrates is under discussion, if it is to be of
most service. The first essential is that the work shall be done wholly by
the children. The teacher may by skillful questions help them to build up
in imagination the project they intend to work out, so that they may work
with a definite purpose. She may sometimes suggest improved methods of
working out various features when the improvements will add to the value
of the illustration, but she should seldom, if ever, plan a project
definitely or dictate the method of procedure.

Not least among the possible benefits to be derived from work of this kind
is the development of resourcefulness. The necessity for expressing an
idea in concrete form with whatever materials are at hand often calls for
considerable ingenuity. Ability of this sort will show itself only when
the children are expressing their ideas with utmost freedom and feel the
responsibility for the success of their work. The more earnestly the
children try to express their id